Kayla Fallon Smith still remembers hearing her father’s voice on the morning of September 11, 2001, just as she had on countless other mornings.
NEW YORK CITY — Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, Kayla Fallon Smith still carries the memory of her final connection with her father, William Lawrence Fallon Jr. He was 38 when he went to work at the World Trade Center that morning; his daughter was only 8. What followed was a phone call permanently etched into her memory.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Smith shared the painful memories of the tragedy that reshaped her life.
Kayla Fallon Smith recalls father’s last words
Fallon worked as an IT manager for Cantor Fitzgerald and kept a steady morning routine: he would leave early for work and call home before his daughters left for school.
For Smith, those calls were part of an ordinary childhood. Her father would describe the view from the tower, telling his daughters about the weather high above the city. His early schedule also allowed him to finish early so he could spend time with his children, including driving Smith to dance classes.
She recalled hearing his voice on the morning of Sept. 11, just as she always did. But later that morning, he called again. This time, Smith’s mother answered.
“I’m getting out, I’m coming home,” Fallon told her.
When she asked what he meant, his answer was chillingly simple: “Turn on the news.”
The line went quiet. It was the last time his family ever heard from him.
Kayla Fallon Smith turned grief into mission
Smith was 8 years old when her father died. Now 33, she noted that time has not erased the grief.
“Those words haunt me a little bit,” she said. “Every year, grief is different. It doesn’t go away. It’s a myth when people say that time heals all wounds—it doesn’t.”
Over time, Smith channeled her loss into helping others navigate trauma. She became a licensed mental health counselor and, in 2019, founded a nonprofit providing free counseling and equine-assisted therapy to military personnel, veterans, first responders, and their families.
Through her work, Smith has found a way to give enduring purpose to the pain she has carried since losing her father.